


Key to my heart

by petals_sunwards



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cute, Drabble, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Facebook: Hermione's Haven, Facebook: Hermione's Nook, Fluff, Good Draco Malfoy, Hermione's Haven Roll-A-Drabble, Neighbors, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Hogwarts, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 04:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20650844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petals_sunwards/pseuds/petals_sunwards
Summary: She had scoured every ministerial resources to find a way out of situation. It was just her luck the sour and bitter Draco Malfoy had ended up as her neighbor. Also, her other problem?He had front row seats to witness her struggle with damn padlock. Every.Single.Day!She wasn't sure what she hated more. Her daily troubles with the lock or the git not making fun of her because of it.





	Key to my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Written in celebration of Hermione’s birthday event on Hermione's Nook group.  
My word was padlock.  
Combining it with 24th August Roll-a-drabble on Hermione's Haven group.   
My prompt was Enemies to lovers with Draco Malfoy. 
> 
> Neither Hermione nor Draco belong to me and all beautiful fanarts in the aesthetic have different owners. I couldn't track them down but all credits to them not me who just created the collage. If you know the artists, please let me know so I can tag them.
> 
> I make no money from this exercise.

Hermione huffed as she struggled with the padlock of her Ministry provided housing. Not for the first time she wondered why ministry housing was resistant to the locking charms. All doors, windows and trapdoors of the house were impervious to the locking charm. It was mortifying to have to struggle with a simple lock which worked on muggle mechanics in front of others, especially her next-door neighbor Draco bloody Malfoy. He was another reason she had questioned her decision about living at ministry provided quarters.

She hated the smug look the blonde ponce sent her way whenever she struggled with the simple lock. They returned home around the same time and Hermione hated the judgmental nod she received every evening as he unlocked his door with ease. He never talked with her, he had no snide remarks at her incompetence nor any clever suggestions to help her. He was aloof as if Hermione’s struggles with her lock didn’t matter to him and somehow that was the worst. She could use snide remarks or two to speed her up. She had initially wondered if he had cursed her door-lock but all scans were negative. It was surprising but Hermione had to concede Malfoy wasn’t petty and it was just her inability to open locks.

Weeks passed and Hermione continued her struggle. Malfoy arrived after her, shook his head when he saw her struggling and opened his own door. It became a tradition of the sorts. Sometimes Hermione wondered if she should ask for his help, but he stepped inside his home before she could decide. A few times he would linger outside and Hermione saw bits and pieces of his colorful garden. It contained some patches of yellow daffodils, white jonquils, blue irises, pink phloxes and red daisies. She compared it with her own garden and was ashamed. Draco Malfoy had a green thumb she sorely lacked. It added to the resentment Hermione harbored.

* * *

Her day was crappy and she wanted a hot steaming mug of tea. But the blasted lock refused to take pity on her. After three minutes of struggle, she gave up and slumped to the muddy street. She closed her eyes and let the rain soak her completely. It surprised her when a minute later rain stopped. She opened her eyes to see Malfoy standing over her, his large umbrella covering both of them. He flashed a tentative smile and gestures towards his house. Hermione considered refusing his offer, she craved warmth. She gave him a grateful smile and followed. His house was warm but lacked the coziness. Everything was immaculate, with no clashing colors. She amended her observation. There were no colors at all; only shades of grey. She graciously accepted the warm tea Malfoy offered her. They sat there until the rain stopped, silent and lost in their own thoughts. Hermione was contemplating about the contrast his home presented his colorful garden. When Malfoy admitted she made better tea, Hermione felt lighter. Somehow, Malfoy's praise about something trivial as tea made her smile for the first time that day.

Their interactions were less strained afterward. They barely spoke with each other, but Malfoy waited until she had unlocked the door. Somehow witnessing her breaking down and her subsequently guessing his colorless life had established some camaraderie between them. The resentment of his gardening skills had vanished, replaced by some phantom ache in her heart. One day when Malfoy had closed the door with excessive force, Hermione had hesitantly invited him for tea. They had talked a lot that night. They didn’t talk about their mutual past or their work, but let the conversation flow about silly topics like favorite songs and most hated outfits. They were surprised to find out how much they knew each other through sheer observation. Somehow Draco curled up in the chair next to her fireplace wasn’t odd, Hermione mused. Without either of them realizing, they had become a fixture at each other's lives.

They started lingering at their doors often, well Draco lingered while Hermione struggled to open her door. Sometimes she would just give up and they would enjoy quiet tea in his garden. Whenever Draco had hard days, he knocked on her door. He sat in her living room, complaining about the mess but soaking up all the colors. Each time he stayed longer and both of them were miserable when it was time for him to leave.

* * *

It was just another rainy day and Hermione was at her door, struggling with the padlock. She smiled when a shadow crossed over and held an umbrella was on the top of her head. They had come a long way from snobby neighbors who got on each other's nerves. Now she was in love with him and knew Draco reciprocated her feelings. They had just never admitted it aloud. She grumbled at the stuck lock and Draco chuckled. The deep sound sent shivers along her spine. Suddenly he spun her around and trapped her against the door. He leaned in closer and softly kissed her on lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation of another kiss but it never came. 

Instead, his lips ghosted towards his ears and he softly whispered, “At our home, we are going to use locking charms. Padlocks and you try my patience.”

As he pulled the key from her hands and fumbled with the door, he growled in her ears. "Patience, I am not sure if I possess any longer.”

She managed a shaky laugh and nodded in agreement. A home together with Draco was a dream come true, padlocks or not! 

**Author's Note:**

> So not the conventional enemies to lovers plot. I know I can exploit the trope for Dramione pairing but I wanted something soft. It kinda works though.   
Please leave kudos or comments if you like the story :)   
Thank you for reading!


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